Motion systems are mechanical systems that are used to hold and position a workpiece, such as in manufacturing, machining, or industrial processes, for example. Motion systems used to position a workpiece typically require a high degree of accuracy in order to achieve a highly precise positioning of the workpiece.
In order to be able to achieve a large number of working positions, a motion system may employ multiple actuator devices. The multiple actuator devices can be singly or jointly actuated in order to move and position a platform or portion holding a workpiece. Complicated actuator systems lead to additive tolerances and therefore to reduced positional accuracy. Further, complicated interactions between components can lead to poor stability within the system.
A drawback of prior art motion systems is that motion systems employing a large number of actuator devices suffer from accumulated error tolerances, resulting in complicated motion systems that cannot provide a high level of positional accuracy. Typical prior art motion systems provide micron order performance, at best, due to additive tolerance errors from six moving hardware axes. Another drawback of prior art motion systems is an inability to return to a set position when disturbed by an external force.